Abstract
The present study was concerned with how gratitude and facets of emotional intelligence (i.e., self-emotions appraisal, others-emotions appraisal, use of emotion, & regulation of emotion) are related to life satisfaction in older adults. Two models were examined in a sample of 191 Spanish older adults: (1) a broaden-and-build model, in which gratitude might be associated with greater life satisfaction by broadening and building facets of emotional intelligence; and (2) an amplification model, in which gratitude might interact with facets of emotional intelligence to amplify life satisfaction. In examining a broaden-and-build model, mediation analysis indicated that gratitude was associated with greater life satisfaction in older adults via broadening one’s use of emotions. In addition, in examining an amplification model, we found evidence of an Others-Emotions Appraisal × Gratitude interaction effect, such that the life satisfaction of older adults with an adept understanding of others’ emotions was enhanced by dispositional gratitude. The present study contributes to the extant literature by delineating specific pathways by which gratitude and emotional intelligence influence life satisfaction among older adults. Our findings provide evidence of potential strengths-based mechanisms to support older adult life satisfaction. In addition to existing therapies and psychoeducational interventions, it would seem valuable for practitioners to not only consider ways to promote older adults’ gratitude, but also the use of emotions, and adept appraisal of others’ emotions to facilitate their life satisfaction.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Algoe, S. B., Fredrickson, B. L., & Gable, S. L. (2013). The social functions of the emotion of gratitude via expression. Emotion, 13, 605–609. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032701
Busseri, M. A., & Sadava, S. W. (2011). A review of the tripartite structure of subjective well-being: Implications for conceptualization, operationalization, analysis, and synthesis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15, 290–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868310391271
Bhullar, N., Surman, G., & Schutte, N. S. (2015). Dispositional gratitude mediates the relationship between a past-positive temporal frame and well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 76, 52–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.11.025
Caprara, M., Di Giunta, L., & Caprara, G. V. (2016). Association of positivity with health problems in old age: Preliminary findings from Spanish middle class seniors. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18, 1339–1358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-016-9772-7
Chang, E. C., Chang, O. D., & Kamble, S. V. (2019). Examining the relationship between positive mood and life satisfaction in Easterners and Westerners: Is feeling good associated with building agency, broadening pathways, or both? Journal of Happiness Studies, 20, 2159–2172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0043-7
Chen, Y., Peng, Y., & Fang, P. (2016). Emotional intelligence mediates the relationship between age and subjective well-being. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 83, 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415016648705
Chopik, W. J., Newton, N. J., Ryan, L. H., Kashdan, T. B., & Jarden, A. J. (2019). Gratitude across the life span: Age differences and links to subjective well-being. Journal of Positive Psychology, 14, 292–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2017.1414296
Cohen, J. (1977). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (Rev. ed.). Academic Press.
Delhom, I., Gutierrez, M., Lucas-Molina, B., & Meléndez, J. C. (2017). Emotional intelligence in older adults: Psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 and relationship with psychological well-being and life satisfaction. International Psychogeriatrics, 29, 1327–1334. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217000722
Demerouti, E., & Rispens, S. (2014). Improving the image of student-recruited samples: A commentary. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 87, 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12048
Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55, 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.34
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 403–425. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145056
Diener, E., Sapyta, J. J., & Suh, E. (1998). Subjective well-being is essential to well-being. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 33–37. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0901_3
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377–389. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377
Emmons, R. A., & Mishra, A. (2011). Why gratitude enhances well-being: What we know, what we need to know. In K. Sheldon, T. Kashdan, & M. F. Steger (Eds.), Designing the future of positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward (pp. 248–264). Oxford University Press.
Extremera, N., Rey, L., & Sánchez-Álvarez, N. (2019). Validation of the Spanish version of Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-S). Psicothema, 31, 94–100. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2018.147
Fernández, B. R., Rosero-Bixby, L., & Koivumaa-Honkanen, H. (2015). Effects of self-rated health and self-rated economic situation on depressed mood via life satisfaction among older adults in Costa Rica. Journal of Aging and Health, 28, 225–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315589577
Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 300–319. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.300
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). Gratitude, like other positive emotions, broadens and builds. In R. A. Emmons & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 145–166). Oxford University Press.
Friedman, E. M., Ruini, C., Foy, R., Jaros, L., Sampson, H., & Ryff, C. D. (2017). Lighten UP! A community-based group intervention to promote psychological well-being in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 21, 199–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2015.1093605
Gruszecka, E. (2015). Appreciating gratitude: Is gratitude an amplifier of well-being? Polish Psychological Bulletin, 46, 186–196. https://doi.org/10.1515/ppb-2015-0025
Hansson, R. O., Jones, W. H., & Carpenter, B. N. (1984). Relational competence and social support. Review of Personality & Social Psychology, 5, 265–284.
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
Heisel, M. J., Duberstein, P. R., Talbot, N. L., King, D. A., & Tu, X. M. (2009). Adapting interpersonal psychotherapy for older adults at risk for suicide: Preliminary findings. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40, 156–164. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014731
Hirsch, J. K., Duberstein, P. R., Chapman, B., & Lyness, J. M. (2007). Positive affect and suicide ideation in older adult primary care patients. Psychology and Aging, 22, 380–385. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.22.2.380
Law, K. S., Wong, C. S., & Song, L. J. (2004). The construct and criterion validity of emotional intelligence and its potential utility for management studies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 483–496. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.3.483
Luque-Reca, O., Pulido-Martos, M., Lopez-Zafra, E., & Augusto-Landa, J. M. (2018). The importance of emotional intelligence and cognitive style in institutionalized older adults’ quality of life. The Journal of General Psychology, 145, 120–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2018.1437384
Magallares, A., Recio, P., & Sanjuan, P. (2018). Factor structure of the Gratitude Questionnaire in a Spanish sample. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 21, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2018.55
Martínez-Martí, M. L., Avia, M. D., & Hernández-Lloreda, M. J. (2010). The effects of counting blessings on subjective well-being: A gratitude intervention in a Spanish sample. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 13, 886–896.
McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. A. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 112–127. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.1.112
Ostir, G. V., Markides, K. S., Black, S. A., & Goodwin, J. S. (2000). Emotional well-being predicts subsequent functional independence and survival. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 48, 473–478. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2000.tb04991.x
Ostir, G. V., Markides, K. S., Peek, K. M., & Goodwin, J. S. (2001). The association between emotional well-being and the incidence of stroke in older Adults. Psychosomatic Medicine, 63, 210–215. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-200103000-00003
Ostir, G. V., Ottenbacher, K. J., & Markides, K. S. (2004). Onset of frailty in older adults and the protective role of positive affect. Psychology and Aging, 19, 402–408. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.19.3.402
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 603–619. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.23.5.603.50748
Peterson, C., Ruch, W., Beermann, U., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2007). Strengths of character, orientations to happiness, and life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2, 149–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760701228938
Pinquart, M. (2001). Correlates of subjective health in older adults: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 16, 414–426. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.16.3.414
Pinquart, M., Duberstein, P. R., & Lyness, J. M. (2007). Effects of psychotherapy and other behavioral interventions on clinically depressed older adults: A meta-analysis. Aging & Mental Health, 11, 645–657. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607860701529635
Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2000). Influences of socioeconomic status, social network, and competence on subjective well-being in later life: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 15, 187–224. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.15.2.187
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879
Przepiorka, A., & Sobol-Kwapinska, M. (2021). People with positive time perspective are more grateful and happier: Gratitude mediates the relationship between time perspective and life satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22, 113–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00221-z
Rey, L., Extremera, N., & Sánchez-Álvarez, N. (2019). Clarifying the links between perceived emotional intelligence and well-being in older people: Pathways through perceived social support from family and friends. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 14, 221–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9588-6
Rissanen, T., Viinamaki, H., Honkalampi, K., Lehto, S., Hintikka, J., Saharinen, T., & Koivumaa-Honkanen, H. (2011). Long term life dissatisfaction and subsequent major depressive disorder and poor mental health. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 140–146. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-11-140
Robustelli, B. L., & Whisman, M. A. (2018). Gratitude and life satisfaction in the United States and Japan. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19, 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-016-9802-5
Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1989). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9, 185–211. https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG
Salvador-Ferrer, C. (2017). The relationship between gratitude and life satisfaction in a sample of Spanish university students. Annals of Psychology, 33, 114–119. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.32.3.226671
Steptoe, A., Deaton, A., & Stone, A. A. (2015). Psychological wellbeing, health and ageing. The Lancet, 385, 640–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61489-0
United Nations. (2017). World population ageing 2017 - highlights (UN Publication No. ST/ESA/SER.A/397). United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WPA2017_Highlights.pdf
Vázquez, C., Duque, A., & Hervás, G. (2013). Satisfaction With Life Scale in a representative sample of Spanish adults: Validation and normative data. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 16, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2013.82
Vespa, J., Medina, L., & Armstrong, D. M. (2020). Demographic turning points for the United States: Population projections for 2020 to 2060 (Report No. P25–1144). U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2020/demo/p25-1144.pdf
Williams, L. A., & Bartlett, M. Y. (2015). Warm thanks: Gratitude expression facilitates social affiliation in new relationships via perceived warmth. Emotion, 15, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000017
Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 890–905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005
Wood, A. M., & Joseph, S. (2010). The absence of positive psychological (eudemonic) well-being as a risk factor for depression: A ten year cohort study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 122, 213–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2009.06.032
Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., & Maltby, J. (2008). Gratitude uniquely predicts satisfaction with life: Incremental validity above the domains and facets of the five factor model. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 49–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.02.019
Xiang, Y., & Yuan, R. (2020). Why do people with high dispositional gratitude tend to experience high life satisfaction? A broaden-and-build theory perspective. Journal of Happiness Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00310-z
Acknowledgment
The present study was in part supported by PAIDI Group CTS-1048 (Junta de Andalucía) and the University of Málaga and Junta de Andalucía/FEDER (UMA18-FEDERJA-147).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chang, O.D., Sánchez-Álvarez, N., Rey, L. et al. Gratitude, Emotional Intelligence, and Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults: Evidence for a Broaden-and-Build Model or an Amplification Model?. J Happiness Stud 23, 2597–2611 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00515-4
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00515-4